Expanding Your Network Through Tweetups

Tom Shapiro is CEO and founder of Digital Marketing NOW, which helps clients to maximize their online marketing results. What makes Digital Marketing NOW different is the company's expertise and focus on digital strategy and strategic design.

If you are using Twitter, you are “following” a number of Twitter feeds as well as being “followed” by a number. The more you use the service, the more you probably start liking certain feeds and paying closer attention to them. In a sense, you start becoming attached to them.

All of this is great, but it is limited to your computer or mobile device screen. What if there were a way to translate the Twitter experience into the offline world?

Well, there actually is, and it’s called a Tweetup.

What’s a Tweetup? It’s a social gathering of Twitter users. They are typically announced via Twitter, and are organized around a certain location and date for local Twitter users to congregate, socialize and network.

How can you make a Tweetup more successful? Try these tips:

Pick a theme for the event. This helps people get the conversation started once they arrive.

Don’t forget to Tweet about the event, and get your friends and colleagues to Tweet about it as well.

See if you can secure a speaker for the event. Although the main purpose is socializing and networking, having a well-known speaker can generate interest and buzz.

Seek suggestions from your fellow Twitterers.

Invite members of the press. Generate publicity around the event, and if you are the event organizer there is a good chance that you’ll be interviewed for any related articles or media pieces.

Hold a contest during the event. Be creative and have some fun.

Select a location with free wi-fi. The Twitter crowd tends to be digitally savvy, and you can expect that some of the attendees are going to Tweet about the event in real-time.